#22 Steele Sidebottom

[Raw Hammer]

I'm a massive Steele fan, and am very hard on him cos he's so smart and talented. I do not want to see him traded at all...I just want him to stop playing like a smart arse and drlivervlike a gun should.

[qldmagpie67]

I've been probably the biggest Sidey critic out there. I feel when I see his absolute best I smile and think damn how good is he but it comes all to infrequently and is out of the mind to quickly when he does those stupid little kicks or handballs that lead to turnovers or his lazy efforts at times.
He's very perplexing and my belief is and I won't be swayed until he shows me differently that he is just a average player who at times does some well above average things.
There's no point in dropping him to the seconds because having 2 players on around $600k in the seconds doesn't make sense
The club yet again jumped when it didn't have to giving him a 4yr deal on way to much money (it wasn't performance based was based on what his management believed he was worth compared to other contracts given to other players at various clubs). There has never been a single article speculating any club was interested in him including when he was drafted right up to now. When any truely very good player or elite player comes off contract the papers always ask around struggling clubs if they would be interested in player X and then runs story player X on club Z radar or wish list. This forces clubs to either pay up or give longer deals or pay overs.
In Sidey's case there was none of that not a single paragraph written about him being wanted chased desired or anything from any club. So why give him a long term deal on that sort of money ?
Those deals are for your Pendles types or Swan's not for average footballers
Now all the Sidey lovers will say oh no club said anything because they new he was to loyal to leave what crap if his management where asked about his availability they would have had it in the papers quick smart to drive up his price that's there job.
I'll bet you if Gubby was running the recruiting and retention he wouldn't have got 4yrs or anywhere near that money he would have got maybe 2yrs and $400k
10 clubs bypassed him in the draft for a reason. His overall stats for the TAC cup weren't outstanding in fact where average at best with the exception of the 10 goal GF which pumped up his stocks in the draft (earlier phantom drafts had him anywhere from 18-30 after the TAC cup GF he went to anywhere from 8-14)
We drafted him on one performance really and that shows now meaning every now and then he has a really good or outstanding game but the rest are average
He can't be traded that's for sure no one would take on his current deal and we would be left holding the bucket for half his salary
So how do we fix this mess ??
He needs a coach who lays it on the line to him. Show boating equals seconds football end of story. Could you imagine the verbal thrashing he would get in a side like Hawthorne or Sydney doing those smart ass kicks ? Well actually you couldn't because those clubs wouldn't recruit a player on 1 performance like we did

[roar]

Don't think he ever troubles the AA selectors.

[qldmagpie67]

Was just discussing him with a mate on the phone and he came up with the perfect description of Sidey.
He said and I quote "he's like one of those olb VW's with the Porsche 911 body kits on them at a glance you can be fooled it's a Porsche but when you see it's performance you know it's only a VW

[Pies4shaw]

There would 17 other clubs delighted to take him off our hands. If they could get him at Hawthorn, they'd retire Mitchell because they'd got the upgrade. I seriously wonder what game some of you watch.

[courtza]

Love Sidey, guys with abit of x-factor always make the odd mistake.

[roar]

There would 17 other clubs delighted to take him off our hands. If they could get him at Hawthorn, they'd retire Mitchell because they'd got the upgrade. I seriously wonder what game some of you watch.

You consider Sidey an upgrade on Mitchell and you wonder what games we watch.

[courtza]

On one hand people complain Bucks got rid of all the players with flair and created a team of robots, then want to get rid of Sidey because he shows a bit of flair, fair dinkum

[qldmagpie67]

There would 17 other clubs delighted to take him off our hands. If they could get him at Hawthorn, they'd retire Mitchell because they'd got the upgrade. I seriously wonder what game some of you watch.

P4S now I know your pulling our legs looking for a bite.
Firstly no club has ever indicated there want or desire to get him not at the draft not since never another offer simple facts mate
As for the Mitchell sledge really a 4 time premiership player (could be 5 this year) 3 time all Australian 4 time club best and fairest winner 5 X top 10 finishes in the Brownlow 3 top 5 finishes in the AFLPA MVP awards several media awards and 300 games really ?
The only use Hawthorne would have for him would be as a boot cleaner or studder he wouldn't get s game in there side unless there was 44 injuries

[Pies4shaw]

Do yourself a footywire player comparison of them this season and another one of them at the same age (Mitchell's 2007 season v Sidebottom's present season). You might find that you have somewhat over-egged that pudding.

You also realise, don't you, that Mitchell didn't play a decent game in a Grand Final until he'd played over 260 games and was nearly 32? He played in three before that and scarcely troubled the statisticians in any of them (7 kicks in 2008, 9 in 2012 and 8 in 2013). I'm pretty confident Clarkson would have sold his soul to have Sidebottom playing in Mitchell's place in any of those three Grand Finals.

[RudeBoy]

Do yourself a footywire player comparison of them this season and another one of them at the same age (Mitchell's 2007 season v Sidebottom's present season). You might find that you have somewhat over-egged that pudding.

You also realise, don't you, that Mitchell didn't play a decent game in a Grand Final until he'd played over 260 games and was nearly 32? He played in three before that and scarcely troubled the statisticians in any of them (7 kicks in 2008, 9 in 2012 and 8 in 2013). I'm pretty confident Clarkson would have sold his soul to have Sidebottom playing in Mitchell's place in any of those three Grand Finals.

Correct weight.

[qldmagpie67]

Do yourself a footywire player comparison of them this season and another one of them at the same age (Mitchell's 2007 season v Sidebottom's present season). You might find that you have somewhat over-egged that pudding.

You also realise, don't you, that Mitchell didn't play a decent game in a Grand Final until he'd played over 260 games and was nearly 32? He played in three before that and scarcely troubled the statisticians in any of them (7 kicks in 2008, 9 in 2012 and 8 in 2013). I'm pretty confident Clarkson would have sold his soul to have Sidebottom playing in Mitchell's place in any of those three Grand Finals.

You mean the GF's he was tagged by Cameron Ling, Brett Kirk & Ryan Crowley who I'm betting would be rated among the best taggers going around at the time. Proves how dangerous the opposition coaches thought Mitchell could be. And 2013 when he was all Australian, 11th in Brownlow voting, and premiership player ? We all know how Sidey handles a tag ask Tom Bugg, Darcey Parish those experienced taggers who shut him down completely.
So if we want to compare stats let's look at Sidey's when his tagged
I've said before stats don't always tell a true story like the 85% kicking eff in Jack Frost as our best kick statistically
To be fair let's wait until Sidey has 300 games and see how his record stacks up then I'm confident he won't have the same resume as Mitchell by a long way and not just in premierships.
I'm extremely confident Clarkson wouldn't swap 10 Sidey's for 1 Mitchell but that's just a guess like yours that he would love to ask him one day that question.

[think positive]

Was just discussing him with a mate on the phone and he came up with the perfect description of Sidey.
He said and I quote "he's like one of those olb VW's with the Porsche 911 body kits on them at a glance you can be fooled it's a Porsche but when you see it's performance you know it's only a VW

I drive a VW It's just as pretty, fast enough, and a hell of a lot less temperamental, cheaper to run, than a Porche. I love Porches, but they sure can cost you a packet.

You only need 1 sports car, and we have Pendles.

[HAL]

Thank you for your criticism.

[Bob Sugar]

There would 17 other clubs delighted to take him off our hands. If they could get him at Hawthorn, they'd retire Mitchell because they'd got the upgrade. I seriously wonder what game some of you watch.

P4S now I know your pulling our legs looking for a bite.
Firstly no club has ever indicated there want or desire to get him not at the draft not since never another offer simple facts mate
As for the Mitchell sledge really a 4 time premiership player (could be 5 this year) 3 time all Australian 4 time club best and fairest winner 5 X top 10 finishes in the Brownlow 3 top 5 finishes in the AFLPA MVP awards several media awards and 300 games really ?
The only use Hawthorne would have for him would be as a boot cleaner or studder he wouldn't get s game in there side unless there was 44 injuries

Apparently the Bombers wanted him during the Hird years.

He tends to go through patches during every year when his footskills go to shit, normally lasts around 4 weeks.